7th Jan 2016, 01:14

Wonderful to hear you made that Suburban endure the ages. 393,000 miles is pretty eye opening. If you ever get it to an even 400k, I'm sure you'll get just as many eyeballs on it if you record the event on Youtube.

8th Jan 2016, 02:30

There's the difference. You realize that as the miles pile up, parts are going to wear out and require replacement. That doesn't make it a bad vehicle or one not worth buying.

Then there's the dupe that buys a 2005 Silverado that already has 150K miles on it, and gets upset because it needs a water pump and other repairs, so claims it's no good. Apparently never thought about why used vehicles, especially ones with high mileage, are so much cheaper than new ones?

1996 Chevrolet Suburban LS 5.7L Vortec V8 from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Fuel filters, belts, tires and just about everything else on this truck has held up well and has been maintained regularly.

Alternators have gone out at various mileages.

A/C lost the "HI" setting and can only go as far as the setting before "HI".

The CD player shorted out, but the radio itself still works.

It's been beat on more times than I can think of and it still works!

General Comments:

My family and I have had this thing since my dad custom ordered it straight from Chevrolet in 1996. With its white with navy blue underside paint choice, it's pretty recognizeable aside from its size.

Other than the stuff mentioned above, this American leviathan from Chevrolet has some of the best towing power you can ever find in a truck/ SUV. The 5.7L Vortec V8 (commonly known as the 350 Small Block) isn't the most fuel efficient piece of machinery out there, but it works and I still feel that this truck can go on for YEARS to come. The engine is seriously bullet proof and I'm not joking. Sometimes I throw absolutely anything at it and it still pulls through! Like I said, gas mileage is the only issue with me here in this type of economy.

1996 Chevrolet Suburban K1500 LT 5.7 liter from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Alternator at 49,000 miles (based on previous owner's records).

Starter at 75,000.

Air conditioning header hose assembly at 90,000.

At 100,000 miles, replaced leaking rear axle seals, which also required rear brakes to be replaced, leaking transmission cooler lines, leaking water pump, which also required serpentine belt to be replaced, and replaced air conditioner compressor.

Also around the 100,000 mile mark, an intermittent "service engine soon light" started showing up. The dealer replaced a fuel injector, several sensors, and even reloaded the engine control unit software, but nothing permanently solved the problem. One of the reasons I got rid of the vehicle is that I knew this problem would cause it to fail the emissions test in my state (Washington) and would require additional expenditures.

Replaced leaking power steering pump at 130,000.

General Comments:

The Suburban is a big, comfy, giant station wagon that can haul an incredible amount of stuff. That comfort comes at the expense of a driving experience that is soft and mushy - lots of body roll and brakes that are barely adequate.

This is the perfect vehicle for long distance trips when you need to haul a lot of people and all of their stuff. Well, it's perfect as long as you can afford to fill the 42 gallon tank. I usually averaged 14-15 miles per gallon, which is better than a lot of smaller vehicles with less power and less capacity.

Despite the mechanical failures, and all of the usual stuff that wears out, the 5.7 liter engine itself was always strong and reliable. I did a compression test of the motor at 130,000 miles before I traded in the vehicle and all cylinders were between 185-200 psi. One advantage of these vehicles is that they have been around so long and there are so many of them (along with the Yukon, Tahoe, and Denali variants), is that parts are plentiful, relatively cheap, and just about any shop can work on them.

This is a big truck, though (eighteen feet long), and in the end I got tired of driving such a beast as a daily commuter, especially since I didn't need all of the carrying capacity on a regular basis.

18th Apr 2007, 07:29

Pros are the size to carry, the power to pull a travel trailer, and the 4WD ease.

Cons are the fuel economy (12 to 13 mpg), the brakes seem adequate, but still need a runway to stop, the moving around tight parking lots.

I do pull a travel trailer, and the 5.7 size engine does fine. If you pull remember to try to size your trailer to weigh less than your vehicle. My 1996 Suburban weighs 6000 pounds dry, and my travel trailer 4500 pounds dry.